Fuel injector



A. M. STARR.

FUEL INJECTOR Aug. u, 1936.

Filed July 18, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l ...Il ihm um. n MW um f ,n W d.

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'5 sheetsfsheet 2 Filed July 18, 1933 INVENTOR.

BY ATTORNEY Aug. M, 3936. A, M. STARR 2,050,392

FUEL INJECTOR Filed July 18, 1935 5 sheets-Sheet 5 IN1/E TOR. Z

A TTORNE til Patented` Aug. 11, 1936v .PATENT OFFICE y aoslaasz l FUEL INJEcron Allan M. starr, Piedmont, Calif., minor, 'by direct and mesne assignments, to Starr Sweetland Corporation, Piedmont, Calif., a corporation of California Application July 13,

` s claims.

This invention is a continuation in part of patent application Serial No. 638,866 filed October 21, 1932.

This invention relates to a novel means of injecting fuel into the cylinders or combustion chambers of internal combustion engines and to the correlation of the quantity'of fuel linjected with the timing of fuel injection.

A further object is to provide a fuel system whereby at slow speeds of the engine injection occurs substantially simultaneously with the spark but wherein as Athe engine speed is increased the fuel injection is advanced and the degree to which the injection is advanced is dependent upon the speed Iof the engine aswell as the amount of fuel in each injection.

Another object of my invention is to provide the combination of a fuel throttle and fuel injection timing mechanism with a cylinder head oi such construction as to permit of the efficient combustion of the fuel charges.

Further objects of my invention 'will be an parent from the following specification and the appended drawings.v

There are man v advantages to be gained by the injection of fuel directly into the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines, as compared with engines wherein the fuel is supplied by means of carburetors, but to gain the full advantages of injected fuel it is necessary to provide fuel injection meansW which is compact and simple, and which possesses the ability tc meter the minute quantities of fuel required for each charge in the various engine cylinders in an exceedingly accurate and reliable manner. Where such engines are adapted to automotive uses it is of great importance that the metering be reliable and accurate through a wide range of engine speeds and varying loads and one ofthe essential features of novelty in my invention resides in a metering means which is well adapted. to these varying conditions andwhich will be fully understood by reference to the foin lowing specification and drawings.

Figure 1 is a'schematic drawing which illustrates a portion of an internati combustion engine in section in combination with my fuel injecting system and means for regulating the amount oi fuel supplied in combination with means of advancing or retarding the time of fuel injection.

Figure 2 shows an end elevation partially in section along the lines 'Ii-Ii of Figure 3 of a modified form of my invention and is particularly intended to illustrate a V-type or radial construction of fuel injecting system whereby a.

1933, Serial No.. 680,9@

(Cl. l23137) single needle valve may serve to regulate the fuel supplied to an engine having a large number l of cylinders. f

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the .mechanism shown in Figure 2. This view is taken along the 5 plane of the lines III-III to simplify the illustration.

Figure 4 is a modified form. of my invention wherein diaphragme are employed in lieu of lapped fits in certain portions of the mechanism. 10

' Figure 5 is an' enlarged viewy of a. type of fuel injector nozzlel which may be employed in conjunction with my invention.` Invention is not claimed in connection with the construction of this particular nozzle'and it is illustrated to facilitate description of the features of. my invention which are correlated with it.

Referring particularly to Figure l., I 'designates an 'internal combustion engine cylinder withpiston 2 and connecting rod 3. The cylinder head is so constructed as to be particularly adapted to operation by fuel injection methods and is in accordance with my patent application heretofore referred to. This cylinder head includes connection 4a for intake manifold, valve 5, spark plug 6 and injection nozzle mechanism 1, an enlarged view of which is shown in detail -in Figure 5. The exhaust valve is not shown. Timing gears are conventionally represented by the numerals 8 and 9 which are made in two to one ratio so that the shaft `Il is revolved by the engine in the direction indicated by the arrow at one-half the speed of the crank shaft.

The electric ignition distributor i2 is of the conventional type and connected with the spark plugs of the engine in the usual manner. This distributor is assumed to be equipped with the well known iy ball regulating mechanism (not shown) which automatically advances the timing of the spark with increased speed oi the engine. it is a control lever whereby the spari; may be manually advanced or retarded inde pendent of other controls of the engine. ift represents one oi the lead wires from the timing mechanism connected with the spari; plug ti.

it designates the block or housing which con tains the injection control valves and il a `anni shaft by means of which the valves are actuated. interposed between the shaft it and the cano shaft il' isa collar it which is a siiding iit upon the end of shaft ii and also a sliding itt upon the shaft i8, which connects to the shaft il? by means of the conventional coupling 2i. The collar it is provided with ange 22 which rotates freely I between the forked or open lower and of the Bever 23 which is pivoted at the point 24 and is provided with the upstanding arm 28 which bears against the cam surface 28. It will be noted that the collar I8 isprovided with slot 21 which receives the pin 28 which is firmly secured near the end of the shaft II so that the collar I8 must rotate at the same speed as the shaft II. In the opposite end of collar I8 is the spiral groove 28 which receives the pin 8 I, this pin being firmly secured in the shaft I9. Since the pin 3| is a sliding fit in the groove 28 and since the collar I8 may be caused to slide backward or forward on the shafts it is obvious that when this collar is moved along the axis of shafts I I and I9 it causes the cams 32, 33, 33a, 33h and 33e carried by shaft I1 to change their angular position with relation to the vshaft I I and thus change the injection timing of the engine.

34 is the pedal of the throttle mechanism bymeans of which the cam 28 is caused to revolve about the axis 38, and 31 is aflug on the face of the plate 38 which limits the motion 'of cam 28 when the lower end of the screw 39 strikes the lug 31. 4I is a tension spring which tends to urge the cam toward the idling position. When it is desired to speed up the engine the pedal 34 is pressed downward. 'I'he pin 42 is carried by the casting upon which the cam surface 28 is formed and this connects through rod 43 with the lever 44 which in turn carries the adjusting screw 48 by means of vwhich the needle valve 41 is adjusted. 48 is a turn buckle connection in rod 43 by means of which it may be shortened or lengthened to effect suitable adjustments. The block ISa is rigidly secured to the block I8 by any suitable means (not shown) and the block I8b is secured firmly to the block l8a so that the three blocks I 8, I8a and I8b formthe complete housing for the valvesand other parts of the fuel injecting mechanism.- These blocks are preferably fitted together with a ground joint to withstand a high pressure of fuel. 48 is a metering valve which is provided with stem 82 which is reduced in diameter at the point 8l and is actuated by the follower 83, the hardened surface of which bears against the cam 32, which it should be noted is a four lobe cam whereas the cams 33, 33a, 38h and 33o each have but a single lobe. The valves 84, 84a, etc. and their stems are substantially duplicates of the valve48 and its attendant parts although their function is quite different. It 'will be noted that there is a chamber surrounding the upper reduced portions of the valve stems as indicated by the numeral 58 and thateach of these chambers is in open communication with chamber 51 by means of conduits 88 and 89. Also that there are chambers such as 8| and 8Ia each of which communicates with an injector 1 through the tubes 82, 82a, etc.

An important element of my invention is the metering plunger 83 which is a lapped sliding fit in the hole through block I8a in which it is located. This plunger is provided with the flange 84 which limits its downward motion by contact with the upper surface of the block 18a and its upward motion by contact with the shoulder 88 that is formed within the block I8b. A spiral tension spring 81 produces an upward pull on the metering plunger 83 and this spring is connected to the lower end of the screw 88 which provides means of adjusting the tension. 89 is a cap which serves the double purpose of lock nut for screw 88 and prevents leakage of fuel. I have found by experience that when the metering plunger 83 has a cross sectional area of l/20th square inch,

a tension of about 8 lbs. on the spring 81 produces a satisfactory result although I do not limit myself in this regard. 1I is an eccentric cam which may be operated through shaft 1.2 by any suitable connection to the engine mechanism. 13 is a pump plunger which is a lapped fit in its opening in the block 14. 'Ihe upward motion of this plunger is caused by revolving cam 1I while it is returned to the downward position by the spring 15. The pump thus formed is supplied l0 with fuel from any suitable tank through the conduit 18 which preferably delivers the fuel by gravity to the inlet ball valve 11 which is held againstits seat by the spring 18. The pump delivers the fuel past the discharge valve 19 and delivers the fuel through conduit 8| into the pressure tank 82. This tank is capable of sustaining a high pressure and in normal operation I prefer to maintain a pressure of approximately 2000 lbs. per square inch, although this may be 20 varied through wide limits. 83h is a plunger which is seated at its lower end with a ground t to form a. valve at the upper end of conduit 84. The valve plunger 83h is held in position by the compression spring 85 and cap screw 88 which 25 provides means of adjustment and may be held in locked position by means of the nut 81.

'I'he pump which is made up of the parts just described is always designed of suflicient size to provide a greater volume of fuel than is actually 30 required by the engine and the excess capacity of the pump is provided for by overflow past the valve 83h which permits the surplus fuel to escape through the conduit 88 back into the supply line 18. By means of the screw 88 the valve stem is 35 adjusted to maintain the desired pressure in the tank 82.

Tank 82 is made large enough to provide a cushioning effect which cushions the pulsations of the pump and thus provides a steadypressure against the needle valve seat 50. When a large number of cylinders are to be supplied the construction illustrated in Figure 2 may be used to advantage as the mechanism is more compact in this V-type construction and the same cam shaft and cams and the same needle valve mechanism may be utilized for operating two or more blocks of injectors. It will b'e obvious from a study of Figures 2 and 3 that the construction of the injector may readily be modified to use any number of injector valves radially disposed about th'e central shaft and each block so arranged may conveniently contain from one to six or eight injectors.

Referring to the parts of Figure 2, 32a repre- 5,-, sents the metering cam, 53a a hardened follower, 49a the metering valve -and 83a the metering plunger. The needle valve is designated by the numeral 41a and the needle valve seat b 50a. 83a is the supply line from pressure tank 82. These parts are similar in construction and function to the parts bearing the same numeral withvout the appended letter "a in Figure 1. In this modif-led form of the invention I have illustrated the compression spring 89 which may be used C5 if desired to supplement the forces of the liquid pressure in seating any of the valves such as the valve 49a although in my preferred form of the invention this spring ls omitted. The conduit a serves the purpose of the' conduit 80 in Figure l. 70 The side elevation shown in Figure 3 requires no special explanation and is used merely to illustrate the general form of the apparatus when designed with four injection outlets on each side. In this view the tubes 82', 82a', 8217' and 82e :5

represent the tubes which lead from the injection valve mechanisms to the various injector nozzles of the engine.l 'I'he screws Si lead through the top of the casing 92 (Figure 2) and serve the purpose of holding the blocks 93 and 94 rmly in place, the surface of these blocks being ground and lapped to form a tight joint when they are clamped closely together.

Referring to themodified construction shown in Figure 4 this shows a fragmentary view of a metering valve and metering oscillating mechanism which may be substituted forthe construction shown in Figure 1. f

In the construction shown in Figure 1 the valveA stems 'i0 and metering plunger 63 are carefully ground and lapped to form substantially leak prooi sliding rits in the blocks wherein they are located and the construction shown in Figure 4 is an alternate method that may be used if it is desired to avoid making these carefully tted joints. This will he understood'by reference to I Figure 4 wherein It! is the cam shaft and |02 the iour lobe metering cam, |03 the follower and lili the valve stern.- iil is the needle valve which feeds the iuel through conduit |06 into the charnber itl from which it passes by the valve iB and out through conduit E09 and on to' the injection valve il i is a diaphragm to which the valve stem ltd is secured by the nut I04a. As this diaphragm is sealed to the block H2 at the point H3 and since the surfaces between the blocks H2 and iid are ground and lapped the diaphragm il I prevents leakage around the stem of the valve and an accurate fit is therefore not required between stem it@ and the opening through which it passes.

.another diaphragm lili is sealed at its edgesbetween the blocks lit and lil and is provided with tension spring H8 which exerts an upward pull against the diaphragm. Fuel comes to the needle valve chamber H9 through conduit iti and the iiuld pressure in chamber il@ is communlcated to the space on ythe upper side of diaphragm iid through conduit ist. The functions oi these parts will be made clear further on.

Referring to Figure 5 which is an enlarged view ci the injector nozzle l of Figure l, lili is a casing nien/ther provided with plunger H32 which forms a tight sliding dt within the casing. The upper casing member itt contains compression spring itil which may be adjusted to any desired pressure by means o screw 935; Conduit d2 which leads .trein an injector valve in the mechanism shown in Figure l, forms connection with the chamber yitil through the conduit lill. at the lower end oi' casing iti is the nozzle aperture i3@ through which passes the pintle i3@ which is integral with the plunger it. The construction ci this valve is such that its owning pressure is considerably higher than its closing pressure for the reason that the beveled portion oi the plunger lill is ground toform a valve which is seated against the casing it.l Plluereiorc when pressure is admitted through conduit @t and itil into chercher Hlt the iiuid pressure bears only against the area of theA annular shoulder M2 whereas when this pressure is sucient to overcome the compression of spring ist the plunger i3d raises, thus admitting fluid pressure into the chamber itil. Because opening iii@ is restricted pressure exists in chamber Mii as well asin chainher lilo and pressure is exerted not only against the annular shoulder |42 but also against the annular surface IM including the beveled surface. Consequently the pressure is euer-ted against a larger surface when the valve is open than when it is closed with the result that a lower pressure will sustain the valve in open position than is required to eiIect the initial opening. I have found valves'which have an opening pressure of approximately 1300 lbs. per square inch 5 and a closing pressure oi' from 800 to 900 lbs. per square inch to fulfill all requirementssatisfactorily. It will thus be seen from the construction of the spray nozzle illustrated in Figure 5 that the pressure is never allowed to escape entirely 10 from conduit 62 and the chamber ti of Figure l A to whichV it is connected. Therefore there is always a pressure at the top of the injection valves 5d, Ma etc. of Figure l which automatically seats them without the use of springs.

In the operation oi my invention I may use a low grade oil such as Diesel oli or fuel oil or I may under certain circumstances use a volatile fuel such as gasoline to which I prefer to add a suiilcient amount oi oil to provide lubrication for 20 the parts oi the fuel injector. The operation is as follows: Fuel is pumped into the pressure tank @t by methods heretofore explained and I prefer to maintain a pressure oi approximately 2,000 pounds per square inch within `this tank, although 25 I do not limit myself to am, particular pressure range. Fuel under pressure is conveyed from tank 02 to chamber 80. The pressure within the chamber @il maintains a constant upward urge against the needle valve l so that downward 39 movement of the lever M through its connections with the pedal 34 causes the valve to open and discharge fuel into conduit 60 andthe annular chamber surrounding the lower surface of" the valve 39. 35

It should be noted in this connection that the cam is a four lobe cam whereas the cams 333, 33a, 33h and 323e each. Vhave but a single lobe. The lobes oi the four iast mentioned cams are arranged in accordance with the order of firing of the engine cylinders and the i'our lobes on cam ill. are spaced intermediate oi the lobes on the cams 33, 33a etc. so that the valve l0 is opened and closed toadmit a charge of fuel just before each ci the valves iid, @da etc. are opened. The chamber 5l into which fuel is admitted when valve et opens is in open communication throughconduits sil and il@ with the annular space under-v neath each of the valves 5B, Ella, Elib and 54C. It has previously been explained that the injecf tion nozzle l is so constructed that it closes while there is still a pressure of several hundred pounds per square inch in conduit et.. lt is this bach pressure which returns the valves cil, clic etc. baci: to the closed position without the assistance 55 ci springs or other mechanical parts.

While no springs are required to close valves 5d, @du etc. when the type nozzle shown in Figure 5 is used, l may use compression springs above these valves, (such as is shown at ts in Figure 2) 60 in the event that open type nozzles, or nozzles which do not close at high pressure, are used.

Needle valve dll being open slightly there can be no flow of fuel until valve d@ opens and since all oi the valves ed, hda, ete. are closed when ('5 valve d@ opens, there tends to be momentarily an equalization oi. fluid pressure between chamber @il and chamber 5l since the two chambers areln open communication through conduit 6G while the valve it is open. During this instant 70 the pressure is balanced at the two ends oi plunger @El and during this instant the spring pulls the plunger upward by a distance suiilcient to accommodate the small charge of fuel admitted through valve il@ during the instant it 75 When this valve opens the pressure in chamberwas held open by the cam 32. -This distance may vary from a few thousandths of an inch up to the full stroke which is limited by the flange 64 contacting with theV surface 68. Valve 49 having opened and admitted a metered ,charge of fuel and closed again the next step in the cycle is the opening of one of the valves of the 54 series, let us say the rst one, as indicated in the drawings.

5l tends to equalize with the pressure in chamber 6l thus disturbing the balance of pressure which existed against the opposite ends of metering plunger i3. The result of this is that the superior pressure at the top of plunger 63 immediately forces the plunger downward which discharges out of chamber 51 exactly the quantity of fuel that was admitted during the opening of valve 49. This discharge produces a similar discharge through the injection nozzle 1a. Valve 54 now closes and the next lobe of cam 32 opens valve 49 admitting another charge into chamber Sland again raising the plunger 63. 'I'hen the next valve, say 54a opens andthe plunger 63 is again forced downward expelling another charge through conduit 58 and out-through valve 54a and so the operation is repeated until each cylinder has been supplied after which the rst cylinder again takes its turn. It lshould be understood that the flange or shoulder 64 at the top of plunger 63 has nothing to do with the balance of fluid pressure on the plunger, because the fluid pressure on the upper and lower sides of the flange are balanced. there being at least a illm of uid surrounding the flange at all times and it therefore operates so far as fluid pressure balance is concerned the same as though the plunger were made without the flange 64; but for practical purposes this flange serves the important purpose of acting as a stop to limit the upward and downward motions of the plunger.

If the construction and operation of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1 is understood, the operation of the modification illustrated in Figure 4 will be obvious. In this modiiicatign the flexible diaphragm ill which may be made of corrugated metal or other suitable material takes the place of the metering plunger 63 of Figure 1.

It will be noted that the upper side of this diaphragm is given an upward pull by the spring H9 and the downward movement is limited by the spot |29. This diaphragm moves upwardly due to the tension of spring H9 when the pressure in chamber ill is equalized with the pressure in the chamber above the diaphragm. But when the pressure in chamber in is reduced by the opening of an injection valve (not shown) which is in communication with conduiti! the superior pressure at the top of the diaphragm forces it down on stop |29 to discharge the fuel through the conduit Illia on to the injection valve in a manner similar to Athat explained in connection with Figure 1. In connection with Figure 4 it should be understood that the valve stem |04 is a sufficiently loose oriluted nt in the block through which Vit passes so that the oil in chamber l4l may leak back and forth through groove IIB past the stem to permit free movement of the diaphragm III as the valve stem moves upwardly or downwardly.

In carrying out the purposes of my invention it is important that the timing of injection be correlated with the quantity of fuel injected and the speed of the engine. Inorder to effect this purpose and simplify the mechanism so that it may be readily controlled by the averageop- Ierator. I provide the mechanism as shown in lFigure 1 wherein the single control pedal or lever 34 provides the necessary control for all operating conditions. This operates as follows: When the pedal 34 is pressed downward this raises the screw 48 and the needle valve opens. At the same time the cam surface 26 which. bears upon the lever 25 communicates movement to the slotted collar i8 which through the action of the spiral groove advances injection timing, and

` when the pedal is released the opposite occurs and injection timing is retarded. The llug 31 furnishes the stop for the idling position of the throttle and the screw 39 can be adjusted to give the engine proper idling speed. I prefer to design the cam 26 in such a manner that its surface during the first very short part of the movement of pedal 34 is practically the arc of a circlev jected is limited by the stop 66. `Tl'ie distance between the upper surface ofange 64 and stop 66 is preferably made so that the volume displaced by plunger 63 in moving this distance is equal to the volume of fuel required to burn with all the air that can be drawn into each engine cylinder. Consequently the larger the cylinder of the engine the greater must be the volume displaced by the complete stroke of plunger 93.

It is apparent from Figure 1 that the opening or closing of valve. 49 or a valve of the 54 series causes a displacement within the fuel system. The volume displaced'by the opening or closing of valve 49 is absorbed by a slight motion of plunger 63. The volume displaced by the opening and closing of a valve of the 54 series is absorbed by the elasticity of a conduit of the 62 series and its contents. Opening a valve of the I4 series increases the pressure in conduits of the 02 series which assists the system in promptly discharging-each fuel charge from nozzle la. Closing a valve of the 54 series reduces the pressure in a conduit of the 62 series whiclielessens the tendency of the spray valves 'la to drip fuer into the combustion chambers.

From the description of the operation of the fuel system it is `apparent that the quantity of fuel contained in an injection is controlled by the opening of needle valve 41 as well as by the time the valve 49 remains open. The time valve 49 remains open depends on the speed of the engine. -The slower the engine turns over the longer time the metering valve 49 is held open for each charge and vice versa. Consequently the amount of fuel in each injection automatically increases as the engine slows down and decreases as the engine speeds up with the throttle in a fixed position. It is this self-governing characteristic of the fuel system which makes it possible to-operate the engine emclently under rapidly varying speeds and loads by directly connecting the variable timing mechanism I8 with the throttle lever I4. For example while the engine is operating. at a constant speed and the load increases it is desirable to start injecting the larger quantities of fuel further in advance of ignition 'than smaller fuel quantities possible engine control under varying conditions;

without the necessity oi a fly ball governor on the iuel system.

The timing of the injections of various quantities of fuel at various engine'speeds, at it is ecl ccrnplished by the above described system, fully meets the requirements for fuel injecting into the cylinder head arrangement shown in Figure 1 and enables me to attain responsive exibility and eicient operation at all loads and speeds.

The cylinder arrangement shown in Figure l is the subject matter of my patent application heretofore referred to, oi which this is a continuation in part. This cylinder head is arranged with chamber it so that adjacent tothe in' lector nozzle 'la and spark plug t there is a cavity or pocket which is remote from turbulence and from gaseous currents produced by the motion of the piston and the travel of gases through the valves. The arrangement oi this chamber in conjunction with my fuel injection system as herein described constitutes an important cornbination particularly where vgreat ilexibility and ease oi control are desired. lThe chamber ite .maires possible ordinary spark ignition even vrvl'iere low grade fuel oil is used. This is because chamber idd entraps some oi the heated gases oi explosion which tend to volatilize the y atonzioed spray ejected from nozzle la and at the saine tune the freedom from turbulence and gaseous currents in the upper .end of this charnber provide a condition favorable for the ignition oif various quantities oi injected fuel through a wide range or speeds and loads. Under these conditions the minute volurne or fuel discharged from the nozzle when the engine is lightly loaded readily when the timing of ignition is substantially simultaneous with the injection, and lar er iuel quantities injected in advance oi when engine is operated under light load and at low speed the injection occurs when the piston is near the top of the compression stroke and with the cylinder head arrangement shown, the Quantity of fuel under these conditions is diluted and is readily ignited Whereas which correlated with the timing of injection.

'Where the term reciprocating valve may be employed in the following claims I refer to a valve such as valve it or valves of the 5d series "which are caused to reciprocate by the movement of a cam or similar device as distinguished from a throttle valve such as Il, which is not given a regular reciprocating movement .but is moved only by manual or' pedal adjustment. In certain of the claims the valves 54, 54a etc. may be 5- referred to as fuel injection control va1ves.

The plunger 63, or the diaphragm lll, may be referred to as a movable partition. The element 53 may also be referred to as a metering piston.

For convenience, in some of the claims the chamber 8d is referred to as the primary chamber and chamber 5l as the secondary chamber. It

should be understood that the respective sizes of these chambers may vary through wide limits without departing from the spirit of my inven-- tion. The chamber di? may, if desired, be greatly enlarged, even to such a degree that the-.pressure tank t2 may be dispensed with if desired. The chamber 5l is preferably of small sizeand may be reduced to a point where it merely serves as a clearance space for the valve le when in open position. For the salse of clarity in delning the structure in the claims the chamber lil may be referred to as a receiving chamber. y

in certain oi the claims the needle valve ill "is referred to as a throttle valve or throttle means.

While I have described the construction and operation of a preferred form oi my invention it should be understood that the principleshereln set forth are subject to a variety ofrnodiiications Without departing from the spirit of my invention and ll do not limit myself to the specific con-A structions shown and described but only to the scope of the following claims aslimited by ythe prior art.

Having this described my invention what I claim is:

l. The combination with a fuel injection systere oi an internal combustion engine of a prirnary fuel chamber having communication with a fuel pump and with a secondary chamber, a conduit between said charr'ibers and a mechanically operated engine-timed reciprocating valve and a throttle valve in said conduit whereby fuel may be intermittently transferred through said throttle valve and said reciprocating valve from primary chamber to said secondary chamber, a movable partition member between said chambers, a conduit from said secondary chamber leading to one side of an engine-timed reciprocating iuel control valve which is intermittently opened and closed by an engine-timed cam to admit fuel to otv from said secondary chamber through a nozzle into a combustion chamber in said engine.

2. il. mechanism for metering and distributing fuel ior internal combustion engines consisting of means of imparting pressure to said fuel, a primary and a secondary chamber, a conduit leading from said means to said primary chamber, a conduit having a throttle valve in communication with said means or imparting pressure and said secondary chamber, a metering valve opened and closed in timed relation with said engine to permit intermittent surges of Vfuel to flow through said throttle valve to said secondary chamber, a movable partition between said priinary and said secondary chamber, means to bias said partition toward said primary chamber, a i0 conduit leading from said secondary chamber to a plurality of distributing valves each of which is operated in timed relation with said engine and each ci which controls the flow of fuel to a cylinder thereof, said distributing valves being timed to open successively following each opening of said metering valve, and said movable partition being forced by fuel pressure against the resistance of said bias means to inject a charge of fuel into an engine cylinder when each distributing valve is opened.

3. A mechanism for metering fuel for internal combustion engines comprising a primary and a secondary fuel chamber, means of forcing fuel under pressure into said primary chamber, a conduit leading from said primary chamber to said secondary chamber, a throttle valve in said conduit and a metering valve in said conduit between said throttle valve and said secondary chamber, mechanically operated means for opening and closing said metering valve in timed relation with said engine, a second conduit between said primary and secondary chambers, a movable partition 'in said conduit one surface of which is exposed 'to the fuel pressure in said primary chamber and the opposite surface of which is exposed to the fuel pressure in s'aid secondary chamber whereby said movable partition is caused to reciprocate in accordance with the pressure differential in said chambers, a conduit leading from said secondarychamber to a plurality of valves each of which is operated in timed relation with said engine and communicates with an injector nozzle therein.

4. A mechanism for metering fuel for internal combustion engines comprising a primary and a secondary fuel chamber, means of forcing fuel under pressure into said primary chamber, a conduit leading from said primary chamber to said secondary chamber, a metering valve on said conduit between said primary and said secondary chambers, mechanically operated means for opening and closing said metering valve in timed relation with said engine, a second conduit between said primary and secondary chambers, a movable partition in said conduit one surface of which is'exposed to the fuel pressure in said primary chamber and the opposite surface of which is exposed to the fuel pressure in said secondary chamber whereby said movable partition is caused to reciprocate in accordance with the 5 pressure differential in said chambers, a conduit leading from said secondary chamber to a plurality of fuel control valves each of which communicates with a spring-loaded valve and inlector nozzle in an engine cylinder combustion l0 chamber, a cam shaft for controlling the operation of said metering valve and said fuel control valves, the cams on said shaft being arranged to open said fuel control valves successively in accordance with the firing order of said engine and to open and close said metering valve immediately following the opening and closing of each of said fuel control valves.

5. As mechanism for metering fuel for internal combustion engines comprising a primary and a secondary fuel chamber, means of forcing fuel under pressure into said primary chamber, a con- Yduit leading from said primary chamber to said secondary chamber, a throttle valve in said conduit and a metering valve'in said conduit, mechanically operated means for opening and closing said metering valve in timed relation with said engine, a second conduit between said primary and secondary chambers. a movable partition yin said conduit one surface of which is exposed to the fuel pressure in said primary chamber and the yopposite surface of which is exposed to the fuel pressure in said secondary chamber whereby said movable partition is caused to reciprocate in accordance with the pressure dinerential in said chambers, a conduit leading from said secondary chamber to a plurality of valves each of which is operated in timed relation with said engine and communicates with an inJector nozzle therein.

40 ALLAN M. STARR. 

